Your thoughts

And a farmers son at that! - I do imagine finding one on the lawn a bit odd though, and that isn't often usual- field or yard more likely. Surely horses get PTS every day of the week? I really don't understand the issue. We are surrounded by housing estates at home and I wouldn't expect to feel like I had to tell anyone pre deed.
 
Moomin1 said:
I'm sorry but if a lad of near adulthood cannot cope with seeing a horse that has been pts then god help him! My OH's six year old son saw a dead horse by pure accident one day (one of the ones that had been pts at our yard) and he managed to cope well enough when we explained what had happened. You cannot expect someone who is going through the trauma of having their horse pts to go around every household in the vicinity to inform people 'just in case' their teenage son sees the body.
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I agree, death is all around us in some form. Same as finding a dead cat on a road, upsetting but it happens.
 
Moomin1 said:
I'm sorry but if a lad of near adulthood cannot cope with seeing a horse that has been pts then god help him! My OH's six year old son saw a dead horse by pure accident one day (one of the ones that had been pts at our yard) and he managed to cope well enough when we explained what had happened. You cannot expect someone who is going through the trauma of having their horse pts to go around every household in the vicinity to inform people 'just in case' their teenage son sees the body.
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Absolutely agree, it is one of the first things children should learn, ALL animals will die, the where and when cannot always be controlled, or tidy! The best way is to ensure that it is not a mystery.
 
I think if the YO wanted to avoid conflict they might quietly mention that it was happening. However, in times of emergancy sometimes there is no time to do so.

Yes, it is a sad fact that horses will be PTS nearby their field mates but ultimately my main concern would be the safety of the rest of the herd having a firearm used in close proximity. It may be the set up of the yard which doesn't allow a horse to be taken somewhere more isolated.
 
Chestnut horse said:
If I could understand the original post I might reply!!!!
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Reading between the lines its not hard to understand OP post.



Just becasue the majority think nothing of it, that does not mean its the norm, you have to respect others who do not like seeing their horse affected by another being PTS.


When my boys mum was PTS there was no way on this earth I would make him stay beside his mum when she dropped to he ground. Instead we led him back in after she had gone to rest and he sniffed her and nuzzled her then when he had seen her he was led away.
I will respect what my liveries want here and how they want it done for their horse, but I also have to face facts that if other owners here do not want their horses to see it done then it will be done away from others view eg: in the indoor School.
 
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I think in principle it is a question of courtesy it would be polite to inform anyone else, it may effect, of the possibility of a shot but not essential as most horses don't care much anyway. When my youngsters, also young, bond pair was shot she quite happily went out to graze on her own in the field had we removed the pair bond without the shot she would have gone nuts so she obviously knew the mate had gone and wouldn't be back. She was only alone for a day or so but she never once stressed before that she would have gone mad at being left alone
 
I don't think the YO was acting unreasonably. It's a livery yard and quite different from someone's front garden.

Most people try to be discreet, partly for the horse's dignity and partly for the privacy of the owner. You'd normally tell people who are about so that they don't intrude, but making neighbourhood announcements is a little OTT.

Perhaps as there's bad feeling between the OP's yard owner and her neighbour, she is more susceptable to finding the yard next door annoying.
 
My experience is that it is always more upsetting for the people involved than it is for the horses within sight and earshot. I don't really think horses think about death at all, although I do agree that it is often useful for other horses to be allowed to see the body as it does seem to lessen the stress of "losing" a companion.

I can understand why the farmer's lad was slightly shocked by the dead horse on the lawn and I can understand why people at the OP's yard find it a distressing experience. I have seen many dead horses but coming across one unexpectedly, whether on the lawn or at someone else's yard, is always a bit of a shock.

I don't think anyone should have to notify neighbours - sometimes it is just not practical - but I can see why someone witnessing it might be upset. I certainly don't think it should be made an issue of, however. Hard enough for those dealing with the actual horse without them having to deal with the feelings of strangers.
 
Moya_999 said:
....but I am sure a lot of owners would not like their horses to be 30 feet away and see a horse going down and thrashing and groaning.
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Horses don't thrash and groan when they've been shot, they drop to the floor, and may involuntarily twitch for a few seconds.

Having been on yards both large and small, it's my experience that horses are generally pretty oblivious to the destruction of another. And certainly don't refuse to be be brought in from the field because of it.

Yes, a text wouldn't go amiss. But in the grand scheme of things I really don't see an issue.
 
Whilst I appreciate that the OP thought it would have been courteous for their yard to inform her yard I must admit if the horse was PTS due to an emergency then it is what is best for the horse, not the neighbours.
 
Moya_999 said:
......and there was no malice in mentioning what happened as the liveries asked why their horses were sort of spooking near the area.
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Mmmm, you're YO is a smart cookie. Keep everyone sweet (good business sense, obviously), and ensure she makes sure everyone knows that the yard next door are not as considerate or caring as her. That way she deters her clients jumping ship......

I would say there was a lot of malice in how she has recounted events. It's enough for her to say that a horse was destroyed at the neighbouring yard, nothing more. If she had an issue with their processes all she has to do is pop round and see them.
 
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Why is it that some people need to make someone else's crisis into their own drama?

IME, horses take very little notice of the bang when a horse is pts by bullet. I do feel that it is better when possible for any animal that has been close to another to be present at the death, or immediately afterwards, so that they understand what has happened and their companion hasn't just disappeared.
 
I did tell my immediate neighbours; I'm in a residential area, and I didn't want any of them getting a nasty shock. But that was to protect human sensibilities.Plus they'd looked out for my boy for many years and I wanted them to have the chance to say goodbye themselves in the preceding days. They did appreciate that, I think. The horses all watched - we wanted them to understand where their friend had gone.

You could always go and speak to the yard and tell them how sorry you are? Thoughtfulness goes both ways. One of my neighbours gave me an enormous hug when I next saw her afterwards and told me if I ever felt down I needed to drop in for a cup of tea.
 
In this case I feel more for the owner of the horse, than liveries on another yard who weren't informed. It may have been an accident, in which case there may not have been time, or it may have been planned, in which case the owner may have had other things on their mind.
 
In my ideal bubble, I would like to have been informed that a horse nearby was going to be shot at an approximate time provided it was a pre-planned euthanasia and not an emergency. I would then be able to make my decision on what I wanted to do (like not riding a spooky horse at the time).

Many years ago a mare died on a yard from colic, they were trying to load it to take to vets but it died before they could. The body was removed and later when I brought my horse in, when he got to the place she died, he freaked out. Prancing, rearing, mouth open and eyes rolling round his head.

When horses are shot the muscle spasms can be very violent, with one dead horse 'galloping' flat on it's side, it managed to break a leg during the process. Never seen anything like it before or since.
 
Another who doesn't see an issue, why make a drama about something that presumable isn't going to happen very often.
 
YorksG said:
I *think* the guidelines were draughted with commercial killing in mind, so agree that this is what the guidelines say, but I actually think it is probably in the remaining animals best interests that they can see what happens. Interestingly the mare who was next to her friend had no concern when it was her turn two years later.
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I think it is the same for small animals because I was watching a TV programme once about vets and they had to put down a litter of puppies. They actually said it was ok to PTS all in the same room together because the puppies were either blind or they hadn't yet opened their eyes (can't remember), but if this hadn't been the case, each would have been removed and put down out of sight of the others. I seem to remember that they injected straight into the body cavity rather than into a paw vein because they were so tiny.

Poor vet was crying throughout.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Why is it that some people need to make someone else's crisis into their own drama?

IME, horses take very little notice of the bang when a horse is pts by bullet. I do feel that it is better when possible for any animal that has been close to another to be present at the death, or immediately afterwards, so that they understand what has happened and their companion hasn't just disappeared.
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I think most animals don't take much notice to be honest. Farmed deer are often taken out by a marksman and the animals standing right next to them in the herd barely even blink. OK, he probably uses a silencer, but even so. Many horses are kept on farms where guns and birdscarers are going off all the time in the summer and are perfectly fine. My girl was uber sensitive about anything that went bang and spent hours in a tizzy when there were pigeon shoots going on in the adjoining field, but none of the other horses even looked up.
 
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